This beet and pear salad sort of bridges the gap between the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Late-summer tomatoes, beets, and pears make such a lovely pairing, especially with our simple apple cider vinaigrette.
We love beets around here — see this roasted beet salad and our pickled beets as proof. This early fall salad is another example.
You can see from our photos that we “deconstructed” the salad, but you certainly don’t need to. Instead, cut everything into quarters or cubes. I liked the look of layering the beets with tomato and thinly sliced pears. There’s a handful of pecans on the side and a serious amount of goat cheese, which works so well with the salad.
How to Make Our Beet, Pear, and Tomato Salad
Tip 1: Roast the beets and let them cool. To roast beets for salads, scrub them of any dirt, then add to a sheet of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, scrunch the foil into a packet, then roast in the oven until tender (we use 375°F, which takes about 45 minutes). Once your beets are tender, take them out of the oven, but leave them in the foil packet. Set them aside to cool to room temperature before using them to make your salad.
Tip 2: Make our simple apple cider dressing. When it comes to pear salads, we love using a more fall-inspired dressing with apple cider vinegar. This one is simple: whisk together a little Dijon mustard, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. If it is too tart for you, add a little maple syrup or honey.
Tip 3: Putting the salad together. We had some fun in our photos and made more of a “deconstructed salad.” It’s really pretty and a fun way to serve the beets and pears. That said, this is just as lovely when you cut the beets, pears, and tomatoes into small pieces and toss them together in a bowl with the dressing.
More Beet Recipes
- Pickled Beets
- Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese (and a citrus dressing)
- Homemade Beet Juice
- Roasted Golden Beets and Carrots
Tomato, Beet and Pear Salad
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love this simple beet and pear salad with tomatoes and a simple vinaigrette. In our photos, we have shown it deconstructed, but feel free to cut everything into small cubes or wedges. For a shortcut, use precooked roasted beets often sold in larger grocery stores.
You Will Need
1 pound beets, scrubbed, green tops removed (2 to 3 medium beets)
1 to 2 yellow tomatoes, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 pear, cored and thinly sliced
4 ounces soft goat cheese
½ cup pecan halves, toasted
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Baguette or focaccia bread, warmed for serving
Directions
1Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Place the whole beets in the middle of a large sheet of foil and drizzle with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Wrap the foil around the beets to form a packet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool, wrapped in the foil, to room temperature.
2Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skins, then slice into ¼-inch half-moons and arrange on a platter, alternating the beets with tomatoes and pears.
3Place the walnuts and goat cheese alongside the beets and tomatoes.
4Make the vinaigrette by whisking together the mustard, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad and serve with the warmed baguette on the side.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- The nutrition facts provided are estimates. We did not include the baguette.
Beautiful salad! What great colors, thanks for sharing!
What a gorgeous salad!! I love the beautiful colours and textures and amazing presentation! I would love some of this right now.
Beautiful presentation and good tips for working with beets.